MichaelCD - The Blog.

The thoughts of Michael Cadwallader. Coffee loving, history book reading, Cheshire man.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

The Blackest Day?

In a post titled 'Black Tuesday: The Last Day of the World', Robert Spencer states:

On Tuesday, May 29, 1453, the armies of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II entered Constantinople, breaking through the defenses of a vastly outnumbered and indomitably courageous Byzantine force. Historian Steven Runciman notes what happened next: the Muslim soldiers slew everyone that they met in the streets, men, women, and children without discrimination. The blood ran in rivers down the steep streets from the heights of Petra toward the Golden Horn. But soon the lust for slaughter was assuaged. The soldiers realized that captives and precious objects would bring them greater profit. (The Fall of Constantinople 1453, Cambridge University Press, 1965, p. 145.)

It has come to be known as Black Tuesday, the Last Day of the World.

Obviously Spencer, who writes consistently about Islamism, is trying to draw an analogy between the Byzantines and our present situation. But the question is, was it really the blackest day in European history? Not in my opinion.

It's true that from 1453 to the 19th century the Turks menaced Eastern Europe. And, if Vienna would have fallen during the siege, then that truly would have been, Europe's darkest hour. As it turned out, that was the high water mark of the Ottoman Empire, which was seriously in decline by the time of the Crimean war.

Lepanto, was also a major turning point. The Turks would have had mastery of the Mediterranean, which would have been equally as disastrous for Western Civilisation. But, it was the events of 29th May 1453 that led to that defeat. And the events of that day, also led to what in my opinion was the greatest era in 'our' history.

Because of that day, the West now longer had a reliable supply of spices from India.Byzantiumum and the Italian Republics had supplied the West during the Medieval era. But, that route was completely severed by 1453. So, if you add that to the vision and greatness of Prince Henry the Navigator, and finally, the reintroduction of the study of geography, the result is this and this. And, by Lepanto in 1571, the result of this was a Spanish navy that was (despite the Armada) powerful enough to crush the Turks.

So yes, the 29th of May 1453 was a bad day for Christendom. But in hindsight, paradoxically, it was also a great day for the West. And that's the beauty of history.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Anatole Kaletsky

A couple of months ago, Anatole Kaletsky wrote an article, stating how the London property boom would enrich the economically struggling areas of the UK. He said:

Many Londoners on moderate incomes are now living in houses worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. As they sell or rent these houses to bankers and then move to cheaper parts of the country, they will suddenly enjoy undreamt-of financial freedom and will simultaneously achieve a redistribution of wealth between regions greater than by any past socialist government.

The growing significance of home ownership in redistributing the wealth accumulated in Britain by the world as financiers and bankers, will result in big political and social changes. Home ownership has already helped to turn Britain into a much more capitalist society, with deeper public support for private property and free markets, than anyone would have imagined 20 years ago. In the decades ahead, the country may move even further in this direction. Soon Britain may not be just a nation of shopkeepers but a nation of financiers and rentiers.

So how does he explain the fact, that the two poorest areas in the whole United Kingdom are Wales and Cornwall? Especially, given that both of these areas have massive numbers of holiday homes.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Pensions

Yesterday I turned 25. So, after this weeks pension 'shake-up', I have another 43 years until I reach retirement. Not that I'm bitter.

Of course, I have always accepted that the pensions timebomb had to be tackled. And, that when it was tackled, it would probably mean some hardship for my own generation. Also, I have absolutely no argument with the reform that allows women, who have not made full contributions, to receive a full pension. It's absolutely immoral to punish women who have stayed at home to bring up children.

The reduction of Gordon Brown's disastrous means testing is also welcome. However, as a third of pensioners will still be on means testing in 2050, the report doesn't go far enough and fudges the issue.

The return to the link between earnings and the state pension is welcome. But again, Gordo has interfered. The link will probably restored after 2012 , and then only:

subject to affordibilty and the fiscal position

So in the end, this is probably just an empty promise.

But back to my bitterness. What does stick in my throat is that Gordo, who has a taxpayer funded pension of at least Â£53,000 a year, has added 60,000 public sector workers to the payroll, after his government shamefully surrendered to the public sector union on pensions. That surrender, adds up to this:

Every month that passes when the Government fails to increase the public sector retirement age costs Britain's taxpayers nearly Â£1 billion

So yes, I am bitter. And, I will probably still be bitter when I am stacking a shelf in a B&Q, in 2050.

Senate Amnesty

Thursday, May 25, 2006

This Week

Sadly, this week I have been unable to read blogs or post on my own, save for a lunchtime post on Tuesday. I say sadly, because this week has been full of interesting developments within the immigration debate. We have seen quotidian stories, proving that the Home Office have simply discharged it's duty on immigration, and recklessly endangered British citizens' lives.

The developments have been satisfying for those of us have repeatedly pointed this out, but the reaction of the Home Office has still been underwhelming. Yes, Charles Clarke has gone, and Tony McNulty has been moved aside. And, it appears that one Civil Servant has been moved aside, and one has been sacked. But, John Reid hasn't promised a total overhaul of the department, merely that they will "look" at the structure. This is simply not acceptable; if the department was an animal, it would have been put down long ago. The department should be put out of it's misery, now.

But, things won't change. The impending centralisation of HM's Customs, shows that Labour have learned nothing. Less power should be in the hands of Civil Servants, more needs to be in the hands of local immigration officers and departments. The likelihood of this happening, however, is next to zero.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Crime Statistics

Reform’s crime figures, which came out today, are both interesting and illuminating. Using the 2001 census and the Freedom of Information Act, they came to their conclusions using a per 1000 ratio. The statistics are far more interpretable than the government’s official ones. And, they give a clearer picture of crime hotspots. There are some questions about the validity of the study, due to the difficulty of getting accurate population figures, and which areas qualify as parts of certain towns. Nonetheless, these are still a very useful set of statistics. The part that was most interesting to me was that Stockport, the town nearest to where I live, is the third most crime-ridden in the country. I am saddened to say that this does not surprise me.

The figures have unsurprisingly elicited an all too familiar response from politicians, and politicised police chiefs. In particular, Nottingham city council’s response was risible. Their city has an exceptionally high crime rate, whichever way they want to split hairs. Adding in less crime-ridden suburbs, does not reduce the number of crimes committed. I can understand that they don't want businesses and prosepctive university students to be scared away by the study. But, the fact that they didn't even seem to admit that they had a serious problem, shows them in a very bad light.

The other main fallacy is the view that these figures are engineering a ‘fear of crime’, out of proportion to the actual level of offences. However, this view treats the public like fools. People believe that there is an increase in crime because of their personal experiences of crime. The Guardianista view that people in crimeless suburbs pick up the Daily Mail and start foaming at the mouth, proclaiming loudly ‘that this country has gone to the dogs’, is both arrogant and ignorant. To deny people the ability to view transparent crime statistics, based upon the view that we don’t want to scaremonger, is simply not an acceptable view. In fact it’s a positively Stalinesque proposal.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Letter

There was a letter to The Telegraph, which I thought would be worth reproducing here. It was a riposte to Lord Tebbit's opinion that the BNP was not Right-wing:

Lord Tebbit argues that because the "far Right" rejects unrestrainedfree-market capitalism, its policies should not be viewed as"Right-wing" at all (Comment, May 7). Does "free-market" or capitalistautomatically mean "Right-wing", or even Conservative?

The monetarist position, to which the Tories have been devoted since themid- 1970s, tends to derive from the economic liberalism of the 19thcentury. That school saw the trading of goods and movement of people assomething to overcome the old status quo of landed aristocracy, rootedcommunities, and self-contained nations.

Today's global free market, in which products, people, cities andcountries are homogonised, is achieving the sort of levelling whichCommunists and the inter- nationalist Left could only dream of.

The English Flag

Is it just me, or is anyone else slightly worried about the number of St George flags flying from road vehicles right now? Of course, these displays of patriotism are to be expected in the build-up to next month's World Cup - which England enters with more confidence than at any time since 1970. This time, though, the flags seem to be on show earlier than ever.

In fact, they started appearing the day after the local elections on May 4. Apart from the Labour meltdown and the Tories getting their first respectable vote for 14 years, the big story of the election was the rise of the British National party, which gained 28 seats, nearly 20 in London alone. Could it be that many of the England flag-wavers are in fact supporters of this racist party, glorying in their "victory" and celebrating their racial pride?

And finally, this. Labour run Blackpool Council's, decision to ban the flag of St George from taxi's.

The recent flood of flags on cars, in pubs and and in shops has led to an all to familiar response from the PC brigade. But, the language used and the sentiments involved this time, are showing the real motive behind the veneer.

Unfortunately, the Union Flag has been used by far-right groups like the NF, for many years. The left could hide behind the 'it's been hijacked by skinheads argument', when they attacked usage of the flag. There was also the highly dubious claim that it could be associated with the British Empire. Why people, who were not even born when the British Empire was around, would associate the two, is a mystery to me. But, hey that's the thinking of the left for you.

However, the St George's flag hasn't got the same connotations. Yes, it may have been used by some on the far-right, but to nowhere near the same degree. Many provos waved the Irish tricolour during the troubles, but who today sees that flag as the flag of the IRA? When I see a person waving that flag, I see a proud Irishman. When I waved the Ddraig Goch, it did not automatically make me a member or supporter of the 'Sons of Glyndwr'. There is a useful analogy from one of Harker's commenteriat:

Imagine, for one moment, a column in the guardian which explains how, as the cresent moon is a symbol of islam, and alqieda are islamic then every use of the cresent moon is a symbol of support for alqieda. Imagine further that the writer supports this assertion by asserting that those displaying are brown skinned fat and wearing ugly clothes. That he could not help but wonder when he saw the crowd watching pakistan play england at cricket about how many are secretly terrorists. I hope that the guardian, and all of its readers would dismiss such a column, and its writer as bigoted and racist. Unfortunately mr. Harker can spill his own personal bile and bigotry without censure because his targets are white and working class. Any attempt to counter the rise of racist and fascist politics in britain is condemned to fail in advance if it simply dismisses as irredemially racist anyone who dares to support their national football team.

The question is therefore, 'what is it about the flag of St George, that so offends these lefties'? The answer of course, is that to them, any feelings of national pride are shameful, and they must make us all feel that way. The Daily Express' Chief Political Commentator Patrick O'Flynn, calls it 'internationalist extremism'. I call it treason.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Labour's Immigration Policies (again)

David Davis has come up with the perfect summarisation of this, calling it; "deliberate negligence". In fact, that's the perfect summarisation of Labour's whole attitude to immigration, since they came to power in 1997.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Britishness

What are ‘core British values’? Labour hopes to introduce them into the school curriculum, replacing the current ‘citizenship classes’, with classes tracing the origins of values like democracy, freedom of speech, fairness and responsibility. All this, cooked up by higher education minister Bill Rammell, is designed to; "better integrate Muslims into society". And, can be seen as part of the Gordon Brown strategy to include ‘Britishness’ as a central theme of his impending premiership.

Although it’s hard to disagree with the purpose behind this new policy, there are obvious flaws within their thinking. For a start, when I think of myself as British, the best way to describe it would be as a feeling. Even when I knew nothing of Newton, Nelson, Brunel, and Magna Carta, I still felt British. Roger Scruton, writing in today’s Daily Telegraph sums this feeling up:

I cast my mind back to the way in which Britishness was taught to me by family, school, church and town. Those British values were seldom mentioned, and never taught. Britishness was a state of mind, imparted like the sense of family as a collective “we”. It was a matter of belonging, of being at home, of thinking by habit in the first person plural. […] History was our history. It recounted battles that we had fought or lost: it dwelt on our achievements and our shortcomings (though the latter was strictly rationed). […] All our lessons and activities were marked by the sameproprietary feeling: we were being brought up as British, by authority figures infused with a love of the country that we shared.

Scruton then gets a bit sidetracked with a diatribe about “Celtic bias”, but continues into the very core of why this is a doomed proposal:

It (New Labour) is suspicious of national loyalty, and is looking for a set of “values” that will make no reference to a country or the people who inhabit it. […] The proposal to teach “British” values reflects the quandary in which the government now finds itself, seeking to revive our first person plural while rejecting our shared national loyalty.

His conclusion strikes a more optimistic note:

But values are matters of practice, not of theory. They are not so much taught as imparted. You learn them by immersion, by joining in with your contemporaries in team spirit, competition and adventure – in short, by fashioning an “I” out of the collective “we”. That is how, I became both English and British: because I was immersed in them and they were part of me.

Our disaffected young Muslims already have a powerful experience of immersion. The mosque is a value-imparting milieu, in which young people join on equal terms in a shared obedience, overseen by stern authority figures who teach not doubt and discussion, but absolute truth. If those young people are to identify themselves with out country, they must be provided with a first person plural that both includes the mosque and also over-rides it.

I believe it can be done, having met many public-spirited and patriotic British Muslims. Almost invariably, however, they have been products of an English public school – in other words, of the old first person plural that the Labour Party despises.

Scruton has quite succinctly nailed, the true essence of Britishness. However, I can’t agree with his optimistic take on British Muslims. The Muslims who he is likely to have met, public school educated, business owners, are not the ones who are likely to be disaffected. The language of business is universal. A Jew, a Muslim and a White Christian who work within the business world, will have more in common with each other, than with their own communities. The young Muslim from a northern town will, on the other hand, be far more likely to be radical and alienated from British society.

My own belief is that the cause of most of this, is the immigration policies of the last 15 years. The policies, that led to North African and Arab radicals coming to Britain. The policies that have allowed continued mass importation of sub continent, brides and grooms. A moratorium on immigration is a must.

With a halting of mass immigration, the return of Scruton’s collective “we”, and time, we may have a chance of integration. But, as these policies are the antithesis of liberalism, and ergo our 3 major parties, I wouldn’t hold my breath, for a solution.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Economic Warnings

The last few days have provided a plethora of stories on the state of UK plc. The most important of which, was B of E Governor Mervyn King's analysis of the state of our economy.

He tackles the current state of the housing market:

The level of house prices still seems remarkably high relative to those measures that put it into context

He then concludes that we are, as a country, addicted to debt. Perhaps we are just following the example of our Chancellor?

He then raises an issue that seems to be ignored by the media, Britain's massive trade deficit:

The country's current account deficit at around 4pc of GDP would need to be addressed, according to Mr King, but he was unsure over what time-frame this would need to be tackled.

He said: "We keep running current account deficits which means that we're spending as a country more than we're producing. And there is a limit in the long run to that."

What exactly - apart from Financial services - is it that we do produce in this country? We have been saved from economic reality too long thanks to North Sea oil. The impact of North Sea Oil cannot be underestimated, for in 1985 when it reached full capacity, the cumulative balance of payments saving totaled approx. 155bn or, more than 1/3 of that year's GDP. Despite that windfall, the reckless Lawson 'Barber Boom' still managed to run up large deficits. The North Sea Field peaked in 1999. However, we haven't really felt the pinch as the record oil prices have offset the losses, less oil goes further, so to speak. The reality is that despite King's pleas, our deficit is only going to get worse.

In its quarterly inflation report, the Bank said inflation would move above 2% in the short term as a result of higher gas and energy bills.

However, it is expected to be back on target within two years.

Despite the Bank's comments, analysts said a rise in rates before the end of the year appeared unlikely.

The latest report follows the Bank's recent vote to keep interest rates at 4.5%, for the ninth month in a row.

Speculation had been rising that the Bank may seek to raise rates in the summer to head off inflationary pressures.

This brings us back to the housing market. For the fact is that as we are a nation in debt, large rises in interest rates, to combat inflation are simply not an option. Thatcher's 'medicine' to tackle inflation, would be a disaster in the current economic climate. So, will tiny increases in the interest rates really bring down inflation? I have no doubt that Mervyn King is an economist of the very highest order, but he seems wildly optimistic:

"Clearly the rise in energy prices in the short term will add to the squeeze we've seen in the last year or so and is more likely to discourage consumer spending, but we've also seen a rise in asset prices and share prices," Mr King said."

My belief is that the rises in energy prices are permanent. So does Stephen Leeb. It's simple supply and demand, and thanks to our Chinese friends, there is not enough to go around. Perhaps Leeb exaggerates, when he talks of double digit inflation. But, we are using more oil than ever before, at a time when new discoveries are drying up. Leeb believes that the Fed and therefore, probably the BofE as well, would keep interest rates low to keep the economy going, and let the inflation level rocket up.

My advice is to invest in the ultimate inflation hedge, gold. And whatever you do as chancellor, don't sell off your gold bullion and invest it in Euro's. Umm....I forgot about that.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

The Future

I've given my view of the probable future of our great nation. Colonel Gadaffi has another idea. An Islamic Europe:

(I)slam will take over Europe without violent force within a few decades, said Libyan Leader Moammar Gaddafi in a speech aired on the Arab satellite network Al Jazeera.

"We have 50 million Muslims in Europe," Gaddafi said. "There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe – without swords, without guns, without conquests. The 50 million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades."

If Turkey is added to the European Union, the Libyan leader said, Europe will have another 50 million Muslims. Albania, a Muslim-majority country, and Bosnia, which is about 50% Muslim, are also lining up to join the EU.

"Europe is in a predicament, and so is America," Gaddafi said. "They should agree to become Islamic in the course of time, or else declare war on the Muslims."

"He superseded all previous religions," Gaddafi said. "If Jesus were alive when Muhammad was sent, he would have followed him. All people must be Muslims."

Christian "forgeries".

He said Christians believe Muhammad is not their prophet because their holy texts "are forged and call for hatred."

"The so-called Old Testament and New Testament are neither Old Testament nor New Testament – because both testaments were superseded, and they are forged," he said. "They were written by hand hundreds of years after Jesus."